Receive content with AirDrop

When someone else nearby attempts to send you content using AirDrop, you can choose to decline or accept their request. You'll see this request either in the AirDrop window or as a notification:

The content you receive on your Mac is saved to your Downloads folder.

If you can't see the other device in AirDrop

If a device doesn't appear as an AirDrop recipient, make sure that both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on and are within 30 feet (9 meters) of each other. If that doesn't help, check these settings on your Mac or iOS device.

On Mac:

Choose Go > AirDrop from the menu bar in the Finder, then make sure that AirDrop is turned on.

Check the ”Allow me to be discovered by” setting at the bottom of the AirDrop window. When AirDrop is set to receive content from Contacts Only, both devices must be signed in to iCloud, and the email address or phone number associated with the sender's Apple ID must be in the Contacts app of your Mac.

If the Mac is from 2012 or earlier, click “Don't see who you're looking for?” in the AirDrop window or sharing sheet of the sharing Mac. Then click “Search for an Older Mac.”

Check the AirDrop setting in Control Center. When AirDrop is set to receive content from Contacts Only, both devices must be signed in to iCloud, and the email address or phone number associated with the sender's Apple ID must be in the Contacts app of your iOS device.

Make sure that Personal Hotspot is turned off in Settings > Cellular of the receiving iOS device.

AirDrop system requirements

To share between a Mac and an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you need any of these devices and operating systems: